This invention relates to surgical techniques in general and specifically to dissecting along connective tissue line.
Dissection is generally the separation of different structures along natural lines usually by separating the connective tissue framework.
Dissecting surgical tools have been used almost since the dawn of history. These tools are generally divided into blunt dissection and sharp/cutting dissection. As the name implies, sharp/cutting dissection involves the actual cutting of tissue; blunt dissection on the other hand separates along natural lines within the body by breaking the connective tissue.
The breaking of this connective tissue is generally easily accomplished using a variety of tools well known in the surgical field. Examples of tools which utilize a traditional blunt dissection are described in: "Bulbous-Lysin Undermines" by Weber et al. and appearing in Dermatological Surgery and Oncology, 15:12, Dec. 1989, page 1252; U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,465, entitled "Dissector Device", issued to Alvarado on Mar. 28, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,630, entitled "Christoudias Endopongestick Probe", issued to Christoudias on Feb. 23, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,414, entitled "Tissue Separator Method", issued to Muller on Jun. 11, 1991. In all of these devices, a substantially rigid member is pressed against the connective tissue to break them.
In another field of medicine, a "dissection-type" of operation is done in which balloons are used to break plaque build-up in the arterial walls. This operation, named angioplasty, uses a balloon which is inflated in the artery, thereby pressing the plaque against the artery's wall so that the bonding is broken therebetween.
Examples of these devices are shown by U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,060, entitled "Angioplasty Apparatus", issued to Carbo et al. on Oct. 5, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,458, entitled "Angioplasty Catheter and Method of Use Thereof", issued to Leckrone on Aug. 11, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,405, entitled "Angioplasty Catheter", issued to Leckrone on May 31, 1988; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,355, entitled "Balloon Device for Implanting an Aortic Intraluminal Prosthesis for Repairing Aneurysms", issued to Parodi et al. on Jun. 15, 1993. None of these devices though are true dissectors in that they do not break connective tissue but rather only breaking the placque bonding's grip.
Some attempts have been made to use balloons in areas other than in the angioplasty field. One such example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,507, entitled "Endoscopic Surgical Instrument for Displacing Tissue or Organs", issued to Bilweis on Mar. 23, 1993. As the title implies though, the balloon acts to merely replace or nudge the organ and no actual dissection occurs. Further, for all intents and purposes, the balloon (being made of rubber or an elastic material) is of an indeterminate size and shape, thereby limiting its application to only a few areas.
It is clear that while dissecting remains an integral part of surgery, there hasn't any real development in instruments which are either: tailored for specific applications, or which accomplish the actual dissecting in a gentle and controlled manner.